Fire Versus Ice
by Draelya
Summary: An old friend returns and Kai finally has someone to understand him, like when they were young. But his old friend has a secret that not even Kai knows about. Will she tell him, or is it already too late? KaiOC...DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue

Ciao! Draelya here. This is my first Beyblade story. I really hope you like it. Here's the prologue!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. Just Aeris.-(end of author note)-

Prologue

A six-year-old boy with blue hair and gray bangs sat on a bench outside a large mansion. He didn't do anything, just stared into space. Suddenly a movement caught his eye. Without turning his head, he looked out beyond the gate and saw a little girl about his age. She had long blue hair and sparkling violet eyes. She appeared to be following something, since her head was down and she wasn't really paying attention to where she was going.

She suddenly made a left turn and walked right through the gates to his house. The boy's crimson eyes followed her every movement. She started walking slower, tiptoeing. Then she leaped forward and squatted as she caught what she had been following in her small hands.

"Gotcha!" she exclaimed softly.

Only then, with her hands still caging the trapped creature, did the girl stand up and look around. She seemed to be confused. The little boy got up from the bench and walked over to her. She saw him coming and smiled.

"Hi!" she said. "I'm Aeris. What's your name?"

He stared at her for a few seconds. Her smile was contagious, though, and he couldn't keep frowning long.

"I'm Kai," he said, grinning.

"Wanna play?" Aeris asked.

Again, the young boy couldn't bring himself to say no.

"Sure," he answered.

Then, Aeris glanced at her hands. She leaned in closer to Kai and whispered, "Wanna see what I've been following?"

He nodded. "Kay."

She put her hands in front of his face and opened them up. A bright orange Monarch butterfly fluttered out. It landed on the boy's nose and he stiffened. Aeris covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a giggle as Kai tried to keep as still as possible. It didn't work. The butterfly opened its wings and Kai sneezed. It quickly took off, flying up into the sky.

Kai turned to his new friend. "So what'cha want to do now?"

Aeris shrugged and looked around.

"How about that park?" she asked, pointing across the street.

"Sure."

Just as they were about to leave, a woman stepped outside of the mansion. She looked around, then spotted them and started walking towards them.

"Oh, hi, Mom," Kai said, smiling at the woman.

She smiled, too. "Hello, Kai," she looked at Aeris. "Who's this?"

"I'm Aeris," said the little girl as she held out her hand.

The woman chuckled and shook it lightly. "Well, hello Aeris. I'm Mrs. Hiwatari. Feel free to come over anytime you like."

"Mom, Aeris and I are going to the park to play, okay?" Kai asked.

"Sure. Just make sure you two come back for lunch."

"Okay," the two small children said.

Then they ran off to the park and the first day of many that they'd spend together.

--About 2 years later--

There was pounding on the front door. Mrs. Hiwatari opened it.

"Aeris!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here? What's wrong?"

The girl was panting hard and tears were running down her cheeks like small rivers.

"My mom's dead!" she sobbed. "They killed her!"

"What!" Mrs. Hiwatari cried as she pulled the girl inside.

Kai came over to them. He sat down next to Aeris on the couch and she threw her arms around him, crying into his shoulder. He hugged her back, trying to calm his best friend down.

After a few minutes, she had stopped crying and just sniffed from time to time. Mrs. Hiwatari then turned to the girl.

"Who is the 'they' you were talking about, Aeris?" she asked gently but firmly.

"I-I don't really know," the blue-haired girl stammered.

Then she stiffened. Her eyes were wide, staring straight ahead.

"Aeris?" Kai said softly, touching her arm.

She looked at him, then the window. Outside, the sun was being hidden by menacing gray clouds and lightning was beginning to strike the ground. The rain started pouring down hard.

"I have to go," Aeris whispered. She stood and began walking toward the door, as if in a trance.

"Where are you going?" Mrs. Hiwatari asked and when the girl didn't answer, she grabbed her arm. Aeris yanked herself out of the woman's grip but now Kai was at her side.

"I'm sorry," she said, so softly that he could barely hear her. His crimson eyes looked deep into her violet eyes, searching for an answer. There was none.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "I hope that we will meet again, though, and you can forgive me."

With that, she turned back to the door, opened it, and stepped out into the rain. Kai watched her walk across the lawn and out of the gate, the rain matting her purple dress and blue hair to her body. It was the last he saw of his friend

--Okay! That was the prologue. Please review. I'd love to hear what you think. Constructive criticism is welcomed. I'll update ASAP.

Arrivederci!


	2. Chapter 1

Yay, two reviews! Lady Of The Damned Land and HeartlessDevil, thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it and here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. I wish I did. But all I own is Aeris, my OC. (BTW, the rest of the story takes place during the GRevolution series.)

Chapter 1

"3…2…1…LET IT RIP!" cried Max and Tyson as they launched their beyblades. Ray stood to the side and Kai leaned against the wall, both watching the blades crash against each other.

"Dragoon!" yelled Tyson.

"Draciel!" yelled Max at the same time.

Both beyblades slammed against each other with even more force than before. Again and again, not seeming to tire. This probably was because they weren't trying their hardest. They weren't supposed to – it was just training.

The four were at Tyson's dojo (obviously). Outside in the dish, the two blades still clashed. Then they flew back up into their owners' hands. Training was done for now.

"Do you hear something?" Ray asked after a moment, staring in the direction of the woods.

"Yeah, actually," Tyson said, also looking towards the forest.

Max nodded. "It sounds like someone's coming," he said.

Suddenly, the noise of crunching leaves became even louder and a blue-haired girl about their age sprinted out of the bushes. She didn't seem to notice them, but skidded to a stop, spun around, and faced back toward the direction she had come from.

A second later, there was a low growl and the bushes rustled. The girl tensed. Something burst out of the forest so fast that all the boys could make out was incredibly sharp claws. As the creature leaped into the air, the girl threw the knife she had been holding. It hit its mark and a yelp came from the beast. It was thrown back into the forest and could be heard limping away.

The strange girl stared after it, panting. The four boys stared at her, though she didn't seem to notice. Then she suddenly fell to her knees, clutching her side. Ray, Max and Tyson ran over to her, but Kai just watched from his spot against the wall.

"Are you okay?" Max asked as they reached the girl. She looked up at them in surprise, then winced slightly in pain. Ray squatted down next to her.

"Let me take a look at that," he said, indicating her side which her hands still squeezed, as if to make the pain go away. She looked at him, into his golden eyes, seeing if he could be trusted. Finally, she nodded and took her hands away.

Ray observed her side carefully. There were four long, deep gashes which blood was dripping from rather quickly. He could tell the girl was getting weaker and weaker as she lost more blood. He had to stop the bleeding.

"Tyson! Max!" he said, looking at them. "Go get a wet cloth and some bandages!"

"Right!" Tyson replied and ran off with Max right behind him.

Ray continued to observe the girl's odd wound and Kai silently watched the girl. Why did she seem so familiar? Did he know her from somewhere?

Tyson and Max ran back and handed the cloth and bandages to Ray. He pressed the cloth against the wound, then quickly pulled his hand away. The gashes had started steaming a little and a sizzling noise could be heard, as if the wound was burning.

"Press the cloth hard against it and don't take it away," the girl suddenly spoke, surprising them. The black-haired boy nodded. He pressed the cloth hard to the girl's side and even more smoke came and fierce sizzling was heard. The girl's face was contorted in pain as she tried not to cry out.

Eventually, the sizzling stopped and the steam cleared away. Ray took the cloth away and wrapped the girl's torso in bandages. When he was done, he stood up and offered his hand to her. She took it and he helped her up.

"That was the weirdest cut I've ever seen," said Tyson.

The girl just shrugged, as if it were nothing and tossed her blue braid behind her. "Thank you for your kindness," she said and turned. She started walking away.

"Hey! Wait a sec!" Tyson called. The girl stopped, but didn't turn around.

"You should stay and rest for a while," Max added. "To heal."

Slowly, the girl turned around and looked at each of them in turn. Then, her violet eyes met a pair of unforgettable crimson ones. They stared at each other for a long time. Suddenly, both teenagers' eyes opened wide in shock and realization.

"Kai?" the girl asked softly. He looked her over carefully. It was her. He knew it.

He muttered one word – the word he had thought was gone from his life forever.

"Aeris."

End of Chapter 1

---So, just push the little purplish-blue button that says "Go" and tell me what you think! Don't worry, those of you who reviewed, I'm not looking for a certain number of reviews to continue. I'll write whether people like it or not! Mwahahahahhaha!---


	3. Chapter 2

Four. New. Reviews! –gets all teary eyed- Thank you sooo much! I feel so loved! –dies from happiness- Okay! I'm alive again and ready to type! All my wonderful reviewers, this is for you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or anything/anyone in it – just Aeris.

Chapter 2

The corners of the girl's mouth turned up slightly as she heard her name.

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, it's me," she replied, almost regretfully.

Kai stayed where he was. He still could barely believe that she was here, alive and right in front of him.

"Hey, uh. Do you two know each other?" Tyson asked, looking from his friend to their strange guest.

"Hn, you could say that," Kai muttered quietly and closed his eyes.

Now the blue-haired girl looked over at the other three boys. She walked towards them and held out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Aeris," she said. Though it was said cheerfully, her smile didn't reach her eyes. They stayed completely expressionless.

Tyson, oblivious, took her hand and shook it. "I'm Tyson and this is Max and Ray." He indicated the other two, who smiled and said "Nice to meet you." Aeris nodded in acknowledgement. (Me: Whoa! Big word!)

"So, how do you and Kai know each other?" Ray asked.

"Well," Aeris began, aware of Kai's crimson orbs following her every move, "you see, we sorta grew up together."

"Then why didn't we ever see you before?" Max asked.

"Because she left seven years ago with no explanation whatsoever," Kai said as he walked over from behind Aeris. Though his voice was devoid of any emotion, his eyes, as only Aeris could see, were filled with anger and…worry?

The girl hung her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered. He only grunted and walked into the dojo. Aeris stared after him sadly. There was silence for a minute or so, then Tyson said, "So, Aeris. Are you gonna stay for a while?"

She looked up at him and hesitated. Finally, she answered, "I-I guess I could stay. For a little while."

The four entered the dojo to find Kai sitting against a wall with his eyes closed. The three boys sat down somewhere on the other side of the room, where they talked about beyblades and strategies and other stuff. Aeris walked over and sat down against a wall next to the one Kai was leaning on.

She observed the boy for a few minutes before closing her eyes as well. He still looked like she remembered, but his personality was different. He was colder, harsher, more anti-social. She sighed. What had happened to the kind little boy she had known? Thinking of that, Aeris grinned mentally. She wasn't exactly the same either.

Kai heard someone sit down near him and sigh. He opened one eye slightly and saw that it was Aeris. She wasn't paying any attention to him, so he opened both eyes and took the chance to observe her.

She was wearing a no-sleeved, blue shirt and comfortably loose black jeans. She had black arm-sleeve-things (like Kai's from V-Force) that covered her arms from right above the elbow all the way to her fingers where they ended like fingerless gloves. Green stripes went around the wrist part of the arm-things and on her feet Aeris wore green and black sneakers.

The shoulder-length blue hair that Kai remembered now reached his old friend's waist and was tied back in a low, loose braid. That wasn't the only change though. The violet eyes that once shined with innocence and happiness were now colder, more emotionless. She had always been cheerful and full of energy, but now she appeared depressed and tired.

Kai then noticed how worn out she looked. Aeris looked like she had not rested for weeks. He began wondering what had been happening these past years. What was that creature that she had been running from? Why had she acted like her acidic wound was nothing out of the ordinary?

Aeris felt someone's eyes on her. As she lifted her head, her eyes locked with Kai's. The same thoughts were running through both teenagers' heads and they searched each other's eyes for answers. Neither found anything. Eventually, Aeris looked away.

Just then, Tyson, Ray and Max walked over to them.

"It's getting late," Ray said, nodding toward the window where a star-filled sky could be seen.

"Yeah, we should get to sleep," Max said, yawning.

Tyson got an extra futon for Aeris and all five set them out on the floor. The first three boys fell asleep fast enough, but Kai and Aeris lay awake. Dozens of questions were running though their minds, denying them rest.

Finally, both shut their eyes and fell into a fitful, memory-filled sleep.

End of Chapter 2

---My little sister watches that show "Liberty's Kids" every weekend. I'm really not crazy about the show, but I've almost memorized the theme song (another hobby of mine. You need a theme song/lyrics – call Rebecca!) and I think for the most part it fits Aeris' character, especially this part:

"_Feeling the pain as innocence dies._

_Looking at life through my own eyes._

_I'm hoping and praying for a brighter day._

_I listen to my heart and I obey._

_How can I see it any other way?_

_I'm looking at life through my own eyes."_

Yeeaaahhh, so R&R. Tell me what you think! I'll scour my brain for ideas and – hopefully – the chapters will keep coming!

Oh! BTW, guess what! My birthday's coming up – March 27! Happy birthday to me! Wait…I must contain my excitement for another (checks date) fourteen days. (rocks back and forth humming a random tune to try to make time go faster) Review please – for St. Patty's Day! (I'm not Irish XD) Hmm, I'm not Italian either. I'm not even Scottish! I'm the weird ones: Russian, German, Czechoslovakian, English (ooh! That one's normal!), Austrian, and Hungarian! Whoopee! I'm a mutt!

_This annoyingly long author's note has now come to a close. Thank you for reading and have a nice day. This is a recording. _


	4. Chapter 3

OMG! I love you people! The reviews doubled! I have up to chapter 5 written (I'm working on six), but I'll try to write faster, for all you wonderful people. I'm so glad you all like it. Aeris' past will show up in pieces – you'll have to put them together yourself!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. Sorry to those of you who are Hilary fans (I personally don't like her very much), but she's not going to be in my story.

Chapter 3

The next morning, Kai and Aeris woke up first. Then came Ray, then Max, and finally – after a nice, big, ice-filled bucket – Tyson. They all ate breakfast and went outside to train.

"Hey, where are you going, Aeris?" Max asked, noticing her heading for the woods.

"For a walk," she replied and continued walking. The three shrugged and went back to training. Kai watched her walk off.

Aeris breathed in the wonderful scent of the forest. The trees were covered in lush, green leaves and offered perfect shade, letting just the right amount of sunlight filter through the openings.

She didn't know how long she walked. She just lost herself in the sights, sounds and smells of nature. She finally stopped when she came to a patch of cherry trees. Pink cherry blossoms littered the branches and petals danced through the air.

Aeris smiled inwardly and climbed up to sit on a large, flowery limb. She was rather high up and surveyed the ground below her as she laid back against the tree trunk. Squirrels and other rodents ran around, completely unaware of the hawk circling high above.

The blue-haired girl sighed and closed her eyes. She wondered yet again what her friend had been through. The last time she saw Kai was on that night. The night when her life turned to hell. The night she found out the truth.

Aeris remembered the events of that night quite clearly.

Flashback

_Eight-year-old Aeris giggled as her mother read to her from a big book of stories. They were sitting on the couch in their living room. Her mother read very well, giving a different voice to each character. Sometimes, she made Aeris laugh._

_Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door. They both looked at it._

_"Now who do you think that is, Aeris?" her mother asked. She was a very pretty woman with long brown hair and violet eyes, like her daughter's. Aeris' father had left many years before. The only thing about him she could remember was blue hair, like hers, and piercing ice blue eyes._

_"I don't know, Mommy, but I'm scared." Aeris had a weird feeling that these people were bad. She clung to the woman's skirt and squeezed her eyes shut as thunder rumbled in the distance._

_Her mother glanced down at the little girl worriedly._

_"Mommy, my head hurts," Aeris said as she started crying._

_The knocks became louder and more urgent. The woman walked toward the door. Aeris ran and hid behind the couch, peering around it to watch as her mother opened the door._

_Two cloaked people stood there impatiently._

_"Where is she?" one asked in a gruff voice._

_"I'm sorry, sir. Who?"_

_"The little girl…Aeris," the second replied._

_"Wh-what do you want with my daughter?"_

_The thunder crashed and lightning flashed as the woman's eyes widened in shock and disbelief at what the men just told her. Aeris, of course, had heard, too. She turned around and leaned against the back of the couch, breathing hard. She peered around again as she heard her mother scream._

_"I don't care! You will not take Aeris!" the woman spread out her arms, barring the way. "I won't let you!"_

_"It doesn't matter what you try to do. You're expendable," sneered a cloaked figure. As Aeris watched in horror, he took out a knife and stabbed her mother in the heart. Her shriek was bone-chilling. She fell to the ground in a pool of her own blood, dead._

_"Search the house," the murderer said to the other. "Find the child."_

_Both people entered and headed toward the kitchen, which was to the right of the front door. After they were out of sight, Aeris sprinted toward the door, deliberately looking away from her mother's body, and continued to run toward her best friend's mansion, thunder rolling right behind her…_

End Flashback

A rustle in the bushes brought Aeris out of her terrible memories. She looked down and met crimson eyes.

"Hey, Kai," she greeted. She hadn't realized she'd been up there that long. The sun was already setting.

"Hn, what are you doing?" he asked, looking up at her. Aeris jumped down and went to stand in front of him.

"Just thinking," she sighed, frowning. She looked down, unable to meet Kai's cold stare.

"Why did you leave?" the boy demanded.

Aeris still didn't look up. She knew he would ask that, knew he would want to know. She wanted to tell him, too…it was just, when he said it, Aeris' mind went blank. She couldn't talk, couldn't think. Yes, she wanted to tell him, but she didn't want him to get hurt because of it either.

"I can't tell you, Kai," she finally said.

"Why not?"

"I-I just can't," she mumbled, eyes stinging from held back tears. Tears collected over years of pain. Unshed tears.

"That's not good enough."

"I'm sorry, Kai. I want to tell you. I really do." That said, Aeris ran back to the dojo, leaving Kai alone.

_'What's wrong, Aeris?'_ Kai thought, staring after her. _'Why can't you tell me what's wrong?'_

-Back at the dojo- 

Aeris entered just as the boys were getting ready to go to sleep.

"Hey, Aeris," Tyson said. "So what have you been doing all day?"

Aeris shrugged. "Enjoying nature."

"Well you missed out big time!" Max exclaimed. "Ray and I had this really great battle!"

"Yeah, it was awesome!" Tyson added.

"Who won?" Aeris asked.

"It was a tie," Max replied.

"Well, that's a good way for a great battle to end. At least that's what I think," Aeris said, smiling.

"Yeah, I think so, too," Ray said.

They set up their futons and went to sleep. A while later, Kai walked in. He glanced at Aeris once and then laid down and went to sleep.

End of Chapter 3

--Sorry about the wait. I've had to write tons of essays for school. Plus, I had my basketball playoffs and…my team won! Saturday's the championships. If we win, we'll get first place! I have my fingers crossed.

Sorry again, Hilary fans. I just couldn't figure out where she would fit in. Oh, and Kenny/Chief won't be in the story either. Please review! Thanks for reading! .


	5. Chapter 4

Sorry about the wait. On Friday night I had a birthday sleepover, and Saturday and Sunday there were hour and a half long basketball practices that left me totally exhausted. We won our game and I got a big trophy, but my dad set me up in another clinic. Monday the 27th was my birthday! Yay!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade, just Aeris and my basic plot. (Sorry again about Kai's OOC-ness. There might be more in this chapter.)

Chapter 4

The next morning was the same as usual. Wake up, eat breakfast, train. Aeris decided to stay and watch today. She had to admit, beyblading _did_ look pretty cool.

She watched as Ray's Driger swerved expertly around some cans and Dragoon and Draciel battled.

A while later, they all took a break for lunch.

"So Aeris, do you beyblade?" Tyson asked.

Aeris shook her head. "No, but it looks like a lot of fun," she replied.

"It is," Max agreed.

"So why don't you try it?" Ray asked curiously.

Aeris hesitated. "I…don't have enough time."

"What do you mean? How can you not have enough time for beyblading?" Tyson inquired.

'Yes, what _do_ you mean?' Kai wondered silently, staring at the girl.

Aeris looked down at the ground. "I just don't," she finished lamely.

Tyson was about to ask something else, but he was cut off by a loud battle cry. They all turned to see a pole coming down toward them. Aeris acted quickly. She ran over and stopped the staff's progress, holding it between both her hands. This surprised the boys standing behind her and Tyson opened one eye from his cringing position. The person holding the other end of the pole seemed equally surprised.

"Well, hi there little dudette," (I don't know if he'd really say that. Lol) said the old man. "Don't remember ever seein' you around here before."

"Uh, Grandpa," Tyson introduced, stepping over. "This is Aeris. She's been staying here for the past few nights. Aeris, this is my Grandpa."

Aeris released the pole and bowed. "Sorry about that, sir," she apologized. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Same here. That was some pretty radical stuff you pulled there. Think you could take me on?" Grandpa winked.

"Grandpa…" Tyson began. "I don't think-"

"I accept your challenge," Aeris said.

"Now don't think you can beat me just because I'm older than you," Grandpa warned playfully.

"He's right," Tyson agreed. "He's much better than you think."

Aeris raised an eyebrow. "Don't think I'm not as good just because I'm a girl," she said.

Grandpa laughed. "You got a point."

-Short Intermission with the elevator music that we all know and love-

-Okay, Intermission's over-

A few minutes later, they were all inside the dojo. The four boys were on the side to watch and Aeris and Grandpa each had a staff in their hands. The two opponents faced each other and the fight began. (A/N: I don't know how Grandpa fights, so I'm just gonna make it up. Sorry if it's not too good.)

They stared each other down, waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, Grandpa charged. Aeris took a step back and held up her staff to block as wood crashed with wood. As they pushed against each other, Aeris angled her pole to the side and spun, swinging her weapon to hit the old man in the back of the knee. He quickly blocked and jabbed back at her. She blocked and jumped back to make some space in between the two.

Grandpa charged again, but this time, he leapt into the air. Aeris positioned herself under him and aimed a hit at his chest. His eyes widened and he barely had time to block. He landed on the ground in a squat. Aeris charged this time and Grandpa prepared himself to block her attack. Moments away from contact, Aeris swerved at the last second and made a successful hit on the back of the old man's leg, causing him to fall to one knee.

Grandpa looked up as Aeris came speeding toward him. He blocked her attack with his pole and they pushed against each other again, both panting. Then, Grandpa ducked and, as Aeris' staff swung over his head, he knocked her legs out from under her.

She landed hard on her side, but was unfazed. She saw an opening and quickly raised her pole up to Grandpa's throat. She smirked triumphantly, then blinked. She glanced down and saw Grandpa's pole right up against her throat as well. She looked up at Grandpa. He smiled and removed his pole. Aeris did the same.

He stood up and offered her a hand, which she took, and pulled her up as well.

"Great match! No one's been able to tie with me for quite some time," Grandpa said.

"You're very good yourself, sir," Aeris complimented. The boys came running up to them.

"Whoa! That was awesome!" Max exclaimed.

"You're really good, Aeris," Ray said.

Aeris grinned. "Thanks."

"Yeah, where did you learn that?" Tyson asked.

"From a very small, very old, very strange man that lived on top of a mountain," Aeris answered calmly. They all sweat dropped. "It's true!" she insisted.

They decided not to talk about Aeris' sensei anymore and went to eat dinner and go to sleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_Aeris was racing through the woods. They were after her again. She dodged trees and leapt over fallen logs, letting nothing stand in her way._

_Suddenly, a man bounded down from the treetops right in front of her. She skidded to a stop. It was one of _them_. She growled at him and he looked at her warily._

_"Either come quietly or I'll shoot," he said, lifting up a tranquilizer gun and pointing it at her._

_'Why do they always say that?' Aeris thought. 'Do they actually think that I'd go with them, begging for mercy? If so, they're even dumber than I thought.'_

_She just narrowed her eyes and snarled louder. "Get the hell away from me!" she shouted._

_The guy was spooked now. He didn't know what she was capable of. Actually, she didn't either, but nobody else had to know that. He fireed at her. He actually fired!_

_The dart went whizzing past her head and was embedded in a tree. Now Aeris was angry. Really anger! Her eyes flashed dangerously._

_The man lifted his gun to shoot again…but the shot never came. The gun crashed to the ground as he started shaking uncontrollably. He stared at her with wide eyes and she stared back, just as surprised and scared._

_A chill wind blew past and the man's shivering stopped. His eyes still stared straight ahead, but he saw nothing. Then, cracks zigzagged up the frozen statue and a finger began to break off._

_Aeris carefully edged around the unfortunate man and began sprinting away. She ran and ran until she couldn't run anymore. Then she fell, exhausted, to her knees. The frosty breeze whistled past, carrying the man's silent screams with it, as darkness took her._

Dun Dun Dun

Aeris' eyes flew open. She was breathing hard and a cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She wiped it off with her arm and looked around. Four other futons were laid out in the room with four still bodies sleeping peacefully on top of them.

She swallowed and took a deep breath. The look in that man's eyes would always be in the back of her mind, haunting her. Aeris held her head in her hands. "Why me?" she wondered aloud.

Then, deciding she needed some fresh air, Aeris stood and stepped out into the cool night.

M&M's are gooooooooood

Kai lay awake, just thinking about the events of the past few days. Then he heard a shuffling noise to his right and turned to look.

Aeris appeared to be having a nightmare. She was twisting and turning in her sleep. Her breathing was quicker than normal and she was sweating.

Kai wondered if he should wake her, but then her eyes flew open and she sat up. Kai pretended to be asleep as she looked around, stood up, and exited the dojo.

He waited a moment, then decided to follow the girl.

(Sings) I saw Santa and Frosty doing it. Underneath the mistletoe last night. (Gets clobbered with the giant hammer of doom.)

There was a full moon out that night, along with plenty of stars. The blossoming cherry trees held an unearthly glow. And underneath one of those trees was Aeris.

She sat with her knees tucked up to her chest and her head resting on them. Loose flower petals fluttered down to land in her ocean of blue hair. She sighed and lifted her head slightly to gaze at the sky above.

Kai just stood in the doorway, staring at the girl for a minute. He hadn't thought about it before, but Aeris had grown since he last saw her. She had grown in both mind and looks. She was beautiful now…Kai mentally shook himself. What was he thinking? She was his best friend, or at least used to be.

He sighed and closed the door behind him as he stepped outside and walked toward Aeris. When he was only a few paces from her, she looked up and he paused. Her once-innocent eyes held so much sadness and grief.

She looked at him a moment then said, "So are you going to sit down or what?"

Kai sat down next to her and leaned back against the tree trunk.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Nightmare?"

Aeris turned to look at him. This was just like when they were little. Aeris would have a bad dream and Kai would be there to comfort her. She missed those days. Kai seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he smiled slightly.

"Bad memories, actually," Aeris finally replied.

Kai nodded. "Want to talk about it?"

Aeris looked down as tears started to well up in her eyes. "I remember the night that she died," she said quietly. (She's talking about her mother.)

Salty rivers were now streaming down her cheeks. She was crying for all the pain and sadness she had been through the past seven years.

Then Aeris felt strong arms come around her and hold her in a tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around Kai's neck and wept into his shirt.

They stayed like that for a while, until Aeris stopped crying. They pulled back and stared at each other. Aeris' eyes were red and puffy and her cheeks were tear-stained. Kai smiled and wiped away the salty drops. Aeris just continued to stare at him.

"Kai?"

"Hm?"

"I-I'm sorry that I left. If I didn't, you would have gotten hurt."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Really? By who?"

"By the ones who killed my mother."

Kai nodded. "I'm not going to ask why, but you'll tell me when you're ready?"

Aeris looked at him nervously. "We'll still be friends, right? Even if I was a giant six-eyed monster?"

"Are you?"

"No."

"Yes, of course we'll still be friends."

Aeris smiled. "I'm glad."

Then they stood up and headed back inside to get a few hours rest before the sun rose.

End of Chapter 4

--While writing this chapter, I realized why Kai is OOC so much. In this story, I'm creating a childhood Kai who was kind and sweet and just an all-around nice kid. When his friend who he shared those emotions with – Aeris – came back, some of those characteristics came back a little.

I hope that that's okay with you guys. It's just how I've written this chapter. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it. Thanks! Please review!


	6. Chapter 5

(sniffs) I'm so happy you people like my story. HeartlessDevil, don't get hung up with the guy on the mountain. It was just a random thought. SilverGhostKitsune…I love that song. Spirit Of Innocence, thank you for understanding.

BTW, I'm so sorry that I couldn't update sooner, but I was sick (out of school for a week). I had the flu. In fact, I still have laryngitis.

Disclaimer: I. Don't. Own. Beyblade. There, I said it (wrote it, actually). I only own Aeris and anybody else that DOESN'T appear in the show.

Chapter 5

--A Few Days Later—

Aeris yawned as she watched the boys train. This was becoming routine. Wake up; wake Tyson up; eat breakfast; watch training; have lunch; do some other random activity; have dinner; sleep; wake up and do it all over again.

Aeris really wanted to go into the town and not be stuck in the dojo the whole time. If she left, thought, there would be a chance of them finding her…but…If they were really looking for her, they would have found her by now and she would be on the run again. Maybe…maybe they had finally given up… The odds of that happening were over a million to one, but if there was even the slightest chance, Aeris was happy. And hopeful.

With these thoughts on her mind, the girl leaned back against the tree trunk and closed her eyes, enjoying the warm sunlight on her face.

"Hey, Aeris! Helllooo. Anybody in there?"

Aeris opened her eyes to a hand in front of her face. She looked up at the hand's owner – Tyson. He and the others were standing around her.

_I must have dozed off_, she thought. _Wow, haven't done that in a while._

"What's up?" she asked as she stretched.

"We were wondering if you wanted to go somewhere in town for lunch today. Since you've been cooped up here in the dojo ever since you came," Tyson said.

Aeris blinked. It was as if they had read her mind. A smile formed on her lips.

"That sounds great," she replied.

"Cool," Max said. "Let's go!"

They all left Tyson's house and began walking around the town. They examined all the shops and restaurants they passed, looking for a place to fulfill their enormous need for food, or rather, Tyson and Max's.

"Hold on a second, guys." Tyson suddenly stopped walking.

The rest of them stopped as well.

"What is it, Tyson?" Ray asked.

"I can't believe I forgot!" Tyson exclaimed, slapping his hand to his forehead. "The greatest restaurant in the whole town! Come on!" He began running in another direction.

The rest looked at each other, shrugged, and followed him.

;-"Stop the world, I want to get off"-;

'The greatest restaurant in the whole town' turned out to be an all-you-can-eat buffet. Tyson had assured them that this place had every kind of food you could imagine. The part that made it the greatest, of course, was that you could eat all you wanted to and still only have to pay one price.

Ray, Aeris and Kai finished soon. They watched as Tyson and Max stuffed themselves, trying to see who could eat the most. (I'm sorry if I make Max sound like a pig in the chapter, but someone had to compete with Tyson.xD)

"You know, if you guys eat anymore, you'll turn into balloons," Ray said, watching as Tyson shoved more food into his mouth.

"I have a pin," Aeris remarked innocently, holding up a random safety pin.

Tyson and Max froze and stared at her. They saw the glint of maliciousness in her eyes and gulped. Suddenly, Max swiped the pin away from her and put it in his pocket, leaving it safe for Tyson and himself to return to their food.

Aeris stared at her empty hand and blinked. She looked back up and sighed.

_Well_, she thought. _So much for that…_

;-"This is considered normal behavior on my planet"-;

A short time later, Tyson and Max were finally stuffed. Tyson won by a noodle. They walked around town some more.

As it got later, the group of five decided to go down near the lake for a while. They all sat down on the grass.

Max and Tyson were out cold. _Eating a lot's pretty tiring_, Aeris guessed, mentally snickering. Ray was just sitting, staring across the water in his own little world.

A little ways off, Kai was lying down with a piece of grass sticking out of his mouth. His hands were behind his head, one leg propped up on the other knee (hard to explain, but you know the position, right?), and his eyes were closed. Aeris knew he wasn't asleep, though.

She plopped down next to him and closed her eyes to the breeze. Kai looked up at her. The wind blew her long hair (which was down. She stopped putting her hair in a braid while she was staying with them.) back away from her pale face and neck, revealing something he had never seen before. He stared curiously at the girl before sitting up and taking the blade of grass from his mouth.

Aeris opened her violet orbs and turned to Kai, cocking her head to the side as her straight, blue locks fell back down around her face.

"What was that mark?" Kai asked quietly.

Aeris looked confused for a moment, before realization hit her and her eyes opened wide. She softly touched the far right side of her face – a little below her ear – and looked down.

"Can I see it?" Kai questioned just as quietly as before.

Aeris hesitated, looked up at him, and slowly nodded. She put her hair over her left shoulder and allowed Kai to examine the mark.

It was ice blue in color, with bits of lavender and silver here and there. There were a few swirls at the top, one of them curling further than the others to reach the edge of her right cheek. Kai rubbed his finger along it and felt Aeris shiver slightly. Her soft skin was warm, but the pale mark was cold.

Kai continued looking at the rest of the mark. The swirls became more elaborate and complex as they trailed down the right side of her neck. His crimson eyes followed them until they disappeared under the part of Aeris' shirt covering her shoulder (her shirt, thought no-sleeved, covers both her shoulders entirely).

Kai put his hand on her shoulder and looked at her eyes. They were staring intently at his hand.

"May I?" he asked.

Aeris slowly looked up at him. She stared into his eyes. Finally, she looked down.

"Uh huh," she whispered.

Kai gently pulled back the fabric just enough to expose the rest of the mark. Over Aeris' shoulder, the delicate swirls ended and became thicker, more jagged lines. The pattern altogether reminded one of the freezing winds and hard, rough ice of winter. Kai mentally shivered as he sat back and looked at Aeris.

She didn't look up at him, but instead continued staring down at the ground. The silence hung as a soft wind whistled around them. Aeris glanced at the other three (Ray, Tyson and Max for those of you who forgot.) and found that they were all sleeping peacefully on the grass. Then she looked back up at Kai. He stared back, crimson eyes burning holes right through her. She scratched her arm and shivered.

"Kai," Aeris began, barely above a whisper. "I know what you're about to ask, but…" she hesitated, then continued, "…but the answer is connected to the other question. And I don't think I'm ready to…" she trailed off and looked up at Kai pleadingly.

He gave her the same answer as last time: "When you're ready."

Aeris smiled. "Thanks Kai," she said. She gazed out across the river and sighed. "I always loved the sunset."

Kai looked, too. The sky was a light blue and the few puffy clouds were tinged with pale pink and lavender.

"It looks like Ice tonight," Aeris added.

Kai looked at her. "What?" he asked.

Aeris turned to him. "I know it might be thinking negatively, but I believe the sunset, which is the end of the day, is like the end of time – when the earth is destroyed. So you know how some people think the world will end in Fire, while others think it will end in Ice?" Kai nodded. "Same thing with sunsets. Some are like Fire – streaked with red and orange and yellow – and some are like Ice – pale, cool colors like this one."

Kai nodded. "I see."

Aeris smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. She didn't know why, but all her worries went away when she was with him. She sighed in contentment.

Kai blinked at her. He didn't expect her to do something like that, even though she did it all the time when they were little. It wasn't that he minded it – he certainly didn't mind – it was just…unexpected.

They both looked up at the sky and watched the sun as it sank below the horizon and was replaced by a silver moon.

"We should probably go back to Tyson's," Kai remarked after a minute.

Aeris nodded. They both stood up and went over to the others. Ray and Max were yawning and stretching. Max poked Tyson in the side.

"Come on, Tyson," he yawned. "Wake up. You can go back to sleep when we get to your place."

Tyson's eyes blinked open and he stood up and began walking back to the dojo. The others followed right behind.

Aeris blinked. "Tyson doesn't usually get up this quickly," she commented.

"It's just because he's gonna go right back to sleep when we get to the dojo," Ray replied.

"Oh."

They got to the dojo and, as predicted, Tyson went right to sleep. The rest fell asleep soon after.

End of Chapter 5

--Hmm. It's funny that every chapter I've written – except for Chapter 1 and the Prologue – ends at night. Interesting…I'm going to have to change that…

Anywho, sorry again for the wait. Please review. Pretty please with sugar and chocolate and more sugar and, um, lots of other good stuff on top! XD Thank you and good night! (Happy Easter!)


	7. Chapter 6

Greetings and salutations. I just got contacts! Uh, yeah. Anyway, thank you all for reviewing once again. I don't think Aeris and Kai will live happily ever after for a while, though, 'cause I got a really good idea to extend the "angst" feeling in my story.

Aahh! Enough of my rambling!

Disclaimer: I own Beyblade and it's not opposite day. –_Translation: I don't own Beyblade so shut up and leave me alone._

Chapter 6

The next night, Aeris lay awake on her futon. She thought about what she had said to Kai. Fire and ice. What had made her tell him? She mentally shook herself and sighed.

Suddenly, sensing something, Aeris sat up. She looked at the sleeping figures of her friends and silently stood up. She made her way outside the dojo and, once outside, carefully slid the door closed.

She then went to stand in the middle of the garden. Aeris concentrated, shutting her eyes and filtering out all other things. Then, she lifted her head and stared up at the stars. She stood like that for about five minutes, then her expression changed.

Her violet eyes opened wide. She fell to her knees, causing a lock of blue hair to fall out of the loose ponytail and in front of her face. The girl stared sown at her hands, mouth forming uncomprehendable words.

Then she spoke one word. Though uttered as barely a whisper, the word carried on the night air, lingering in the stillness.

"No…"

End of Chapter 6

--Sorry! I know that was ridiculously short, but I couldn't resist the cliffhanger. I'll update the next chapter ASAP!


	8. Chapter 7

Okay, this update took longer than expected and I won't bore you to death with my excuses. Since you were all so patient, here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: Haven't I said it enough? I don't own Beyblade. :p

Chapter 7

The next day, Aeris was more out-of-it than usual. All day she just stared into space, thoughts and memories running through her head.

"Aeris? Yoohoo!" Tyson said, trying to wake her up.

"What's wrong?" Ray asked.

A low mumble escaped the girl's lips.

"What? What did you say?" Tyson asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Aeris said, not looking at them, but still staring straight ahead. The tone she said it in, however, made the boys move quickly away and bother her no more.

After they left, Kai came over to her corner of the dojo and sat down near her. After a minute, he said, "Just spit it out already. What's wrong?"

Slowly, Aeris turned her head and stared at him with a blank expression. Kai blinked and narrowed his eyes. Aeris turned back to staring into the air in front of her.

_ I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, dee-a-lee-dee. There they are-a standing in a row, dum dum dum. _

After a few days, Aeris' melancholy demeanor (1) still hadn't lifted. She would sit, staring into space or muttering incoherent words. The boys were getting worried.

"Aeris," Max said pleadingly. "C'mon. Talk to us."

Aeris just turned that blank stare toward them and kept on mumbling.

"I don't understand it," Ray said as he walked outside with Max and Tyson. "What's gotten into her?"

"I don't know, Ray, but I'm starting to get annoyed!" Tyson said, clenching his fist.

Ray and Max looked at him and shook their heads.

"Well," Max said brightly, "we can still battle each other." The other two agreed.

"Kai, do you want to battle?" Ray asked to the boy leaning against a nearby tree.

Kai responded by opening his eyes and walking over to stand opposite of Ray in front of the Beydish.

"Ready?" Tyson shouted. The boys readied their blades. "3…2…1…LET IT RIP!"

(Insert your battle scene here)

_Later…_

-Kai walked through the forest. The bright orange sunset made it look as if the tops of the trees were on fire. Fire… He pulled out Dranzer and looked at the bit chip of his best friend. Dranzer never left. Dranzer was always there for him. Even with Kai betrayed him for Black Dranzer, Dranzer came back.

Unlike Aeris. She left when they were eight-years-old, before he had Dranzer. She left him alone. She left him to fend for himself, without anyone else, after his mother died and he was put in the Abbey.

Kai could hate Aeris. Could despise her. Blame everything that happened to him on her. He could, but he couldn't. Not her.

Every time he tried, her face came into his mind, as she was those seven years ago, eyes filled with kindness, hope…love. Those emotions were gone from her eyes now. Now they were filled with confusion, anger, pain. So much like his own…

Kai sighed and ran a hand through his hair. What was going on with him?

Then, a fearful smell hit his nose. He glanced up and his eyes widened.

The trees were on fire! It was spreading rapidly. Kai ran as fast as he could, tucking Dranzer into his pocket as he went. It was no use, though. The fire surrounded him, then engulfed him.

Kai gasped in the smoke-filled air. It seemed like the whole world was burning. That brought a memory back, but he pushed it away. This was no time to be reminiscing.

The fire closed in, devouring him completely. Kai didn't scream. He didn't have to. Someone else was screaming for him…-

_Zip-a-dee-do-da_

Kai sat up fast, a cold sweat covering him. He swallowed and took a deep breath. What was that? He looked at his arms, checking for burns, just to make sure.

His eyes froze on his left upper arm and shoulder (2). What the…

Kai got up and walked outside, sliding the door closed behind him. Wrapped around his upper arm and shoulder was a scar that looked like burn marks (3).

That couldn't be. It was only a dream. What the hell was going on!

Then Kai remembered Aeris' mark, like ice. She had to know what this was. He'd ask her, but for now…

He went inside and wrapped bandages around the scar. Then he laid back down, wide awake.

"_If at first you don't succeed, sky diving is not for you."_

"Hey, Kai, what happened to you?" Tyson asked the next day. (You know, the bandages weren't totally covered by his shirt.)

Kai just glared at him with one eye, then closed it.

"Aarrgghh! Why does everyone here have to be so infuriating!"

He went inside to find Max sitting on the floor in front of Aeris with his head cocked to one side.

Aeris looked no different. She was still mumbling, still staring into empty space.

"Aeris! Wake up!" Tyson shouted at her. He went straight up to her and slapped her across the face, causing her head to jerk to the side.

"Tyson!" Max said, standing up. "What did you do that for!"

Tyson didn't answer. He was looking at Aeris. Max turned and looked at her as well. He blinked in surprise when Aeris raised her hand to her face and touched her red cheek.

Slowly, she looked up at Tyson and Max and blinked. Ray ran in just as she was standing up.

"I heard yelling! What's wr…?" He stared. "Aeris is awake?" He looked around. "When did that happen?"

Nobody bothered to answer him, but Aeris began walking. She went out the open door and into the backyard where Kai was leaning against the wall. He opened his eyes as she came outside.

A storm brewed overhead. Lightning crashed in the distance followed by the rumble of thunder. Kai was having a seriously bad case of déjà vu.

Aeris looked at the sky. Her eyes filled with sadness.

"It's time for me to go."

End of Chapter 7

– Mwahaha. Fear my expanding vocabulary.

– Kai was wearing one of those tank top/muscle shirt things.

– Think Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho.

--Dum dum dum! Until next time folks!

R & R! .


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: _Roses are red, _

_Violets are blue, _

_I don't own Beyblade, _

_Boo hoo hoo._ (I suck at writing poetry. --;)

Chapter 8

Kai's eyes opened wide at those words. He would _not_ let her leave again. Not without at least finding out why she left the first time.

He walked over and stood in front of her.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know."

"Why are you going?"

"Because I have to."

"That's not an answer!"

"I can't tell you!"

"…why not?"

"Because…because, I don't want you to get hurt."

"Hurt? Hurt!" Kai snorted. "Well, fine. At least tell me what this is." He tore off the bandages and showed her his scar.

Aeris gasped, eyes wide. "Quick!" she said urgently. "Cover it back up!"

Kai complied, but then looked at her, awaiting an answer. She stared back at him, trembling slightly. The wind picked up around them, howling like a wild beast.

"Well?" Kai asked.

Aeris sighed in defeat and, it appeared, pain. "That mark is why I wanted to leave. That one…and this one." She pointed to the pale mark on her throat. She opened her mouth to go on, but stopped.

Kai scowled at her. "Since I have one of the scars that you fear so much, you could at least tell me what makes you afraid of them."

Aeris hesitated. "It's not so much that I fear the _marks_," she said slowly. "What scares me are the things that come with them."

The wind had by now blown itself into a swirling pattern like a giant cyclone surrounding the two and blocking them from the sight of those outside. However, this was a factor that the two teens failed to notice, so wrapped up in their conversation they were.

"What do you mean 'the things that come with them'?" Kai asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Aeris took a deep breath and let it out. "The warring spirits of fire and ice," she explained. "The marks allow them to inhabit the bodies of those mortals and fight here on Earth."

She glanced up at Kai. "I don't want to have to fight you, Kai. You're my best friend. You always have been."

Kai stared at her, still taking in what he had heard. Spirits of fire and ice? Inhabiting human bodies?

He shook his head to focus his thoughts.

"Why didn't you just tell me when we were little?"

"There was no time. I could sense the spirits coming just as I worked up the courage to explain things."

She looked up, finally glancing at the tornado howling around them. Kai saw the look in the depths of her eyes.

"It's too late now, isn't it?" he said. "The spirits have come."

Aeris nodded distractedly, her eyes fixed on the winds.

"Aeris!" Kai reached out and shook her by the shoulders, snapping her back into reality. "Don't give up on us yet. We still have control of our bodies and minds."

His voice lowered, but still held its reassuring confidence. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. I'm right here."

He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. She didn't respond, her limbs limp like those of a doll.

Suddenly, Aeris' eyes snapped open. She pushed out of Kai's embrace and stumbled away to the other side of the wall of wind.

"No!" she cried. "You don't understand how powerful they are! Because of the spirit of Ice, I once _killed_ someone. The terrible look on his face…" She moaned, hugging herself and rocking back and forth.

Kai stared at his friend. "Aeris, pull yourself together. It wasn't your fault." Aeris continued to moan and shake her head.

Slowly, she sank to her knees. "They can't be defeated. They're spirits, we're just humans." She looked at Kai with eyes full of exhaustion from pain, fear and, finally, defeat.

Kai narrowed his eyes and glared coldly at her.

"You _have_ changed, Aeris. Maybe more than I have. You've become a coward, too scared to fight for your own life."

She glared back at him. "There's a difference between being a coward and knowing when to give up."

"Never give up. I learned that from Tyson. He's never given up, not even when the odds were against him, and he's never lost a match."

"This isn't a beybattle, Kai. This is real."

"Whenever I beyblade, it's real to me. Even practice. Beyblade is my life. It's as real as anything else in this world."

Aeris continued to gaze at him. "I wish I could have hope, but I've been running from the spirits for over seven years. I've seen what they can do and-"

"I don't care what they can do!" Kai shouted. "Get it into your damn skull! They can be beaten, but _you_ have to believe it."

Aeris opened her mouth to reply, but then a look of confusion came over her face. She reached into her pocket and pulled something shiny out. Kai moved closer to get a better view. His eyes widened when he saw the silver and ice blue blade in her hand.

"A beyblade? I thought you said you didn't blade!"

Aeris glanced up at him. "I don't. I've had this blade for years. While I was on the run, Sudri was my only friend."

"Sudri?"

"My bitbeast." She held the beyblade out so the bitchip was facing Kai. On it was the image of a large wolf. Unlike other bitbeast, the wolf didn't have any ostentatious (1) armor or elaborate decorations on it. However, its pure, snow-white fur and calm, golden eyes commanded just as much respect as any of the others.

"Where did you get a bitbeast?" Kai asked, astonished.

"She found me when I was at my lowest of lows and helped give me hope."

The very edges of Kai's lips turned up in the suggestions of a smile. "I know what you mean. Dranzer did the same for me."

"Dranzer?"

"Yeah. _My_ bitbeast." Kai took his blade out of his pocket and showed her the fiery-red phoenix on the bitchip.

"He's beautiful," she said, smiling. Then she paused. "Don't you think it's funny that I was marked by Ice and my bitbeast is one whose powers are derived from ice? The same goes for you. Weird, huh?"

Kai blinked. "Coincidence? I think not," he replied.

The sky flashed. They both looked up. In the top of the cyclone, red and blue forces were viciously battling against each other. Then, suddenly, the blue beam shot down toward Aeris.

The girl stood up. "It's time," she mumbled. "Goodbye, Kai," she whispered to her friend. "I'm so sorry."

End of Chapter 8

– I just got this word's definition into this thick skull of mine. I'm glad I could finally use it.

--Soooo. Tell me what'cha think.

(BTW, I forgot to add that the Spirits are more like really powerful bitbeasts than anything else.)


	10. Chapter 9

I'm soooo sorry for the incredibly long wait. I've just been so busy with the end of school, and then the summer. Movies, amusement parks, sleepovers, etc. I'll try to undate faster, but I've also had horrible writer's block and I only have two more chapters written. :sigh: Anyway…

Disclaimer: I've got a radio, a fake mouse, some dust and…half a bagel. Whoops. No Beyblade. Oh, well, on to the story!

Chapter 9

Kai heard Aeris' words and saw the beam shoot toward her. His first instinct was to push her out of the way, but her eyes stopped him.

Even now, she didn't want him to get hurt. Though she had no hope for herself, she believed he could still escape.

Kai's gaze returned to the swirling blue light. As it came rushing down, it took form, like a bitbeast.

The Spirit of Ice was a bird. Its wings glimmered and flowed like water. While its beak and talons were sharp like jagged icicles. It called out as it flew toward them, its song like the wind whistling around snow-covered tree limbs and icicles.

Suddenly, the red light shot down from where it had been circling. It took form. The Spirit of Fire was a wolf with red-streaked black fur. Surrounding its paws, tail and body flowed orange-red flames. It glared at them all with fiery red eyes as it blocked Ice from reaching Aeris. (1)

Ice screeched again, this time, though, it was the terrible scream of fingernails on a blackboard (or ice, in this case). Fire stumbled, ears pulled back, in a daze. It was only for a moment, but Ice got around the wolf and resumed its course toward Aeris.

Ice circled, examining its soon-to-be host, then dove at her once again.

Except it was blocked yet again.

A wall of flames blocked Ice from moving forward. The fire, however, didn't come from the wolf, but from the red phoenix hovering nearby.

Dranzer screeched a challenge to the other bird. Ice returned the call.

"Dranzer, attack!" Kai shouted.

"Kai! What are you doing?" Aeris yelled.

"Aeris, they're basically just bitbeasts, which means they can be fought."

Aeris was silent for a moment. Then she smiled and looked at her blade. "Maybe you're right," she said.

Kai watched as she took out her launcher, loaded the blade, and pulled the ripcord. The blade spun in front of her.

"Sudri!" she called. "Let's show who's the stronger wolf!"

From out of the beyblade came a tornado of wind and blue light. Then, the white wolf materialized. It growled at the flame-coated wolf. Fire (the wolf) leapt at Sudri, teeth bared.

The separate battles ensued for a time that no one was sure of. Eventually, though, Sudri and Dranzer began to tire and the stronger Spirits had the advantage.

In a swift movement, Ice pecked at Dranzer and blew a blast of icy air into its eyes. With the phoenix stunned, Ice flew toward Aeris' blade.

Aeris saw the incoming bird, as did her bitbeast. Sudri unleashed a blizzard of wind and sleet at the Spirit, but it did hardly anything.

The white wolf yelped as the Spirit entered Aeris' beyblade and their bond was greatly weakened.

"No!" Kai shouted. Dranzer gave a warning cry. He looked up just as Fire entered his blade.

**("If a mime and a lawyer were drowning and you could only save one, would you have lunch or go to a movie?")**

Aeris could barely feel Sudri. It was like the wolf was just a dream, or a forgotten memory. She looked over at Kai, who seemed to be feeling the same way she was.

Glancing around desperately, Aeris looked for her bitbeast, but couldn't see her anywhere. Her beyblade lay motionless on the ground.

She picked it up and noticed that instead of Sudri's image on the bitchip, there was the picture of a bird of ice. She shivered. The Spirit had kicked her own bitbeast out of her blade!

Kai walked over to her, his beyblade in his hand. Aeris looked at it. The bitchip no longer showed Dranzer, but a black wolf, streaked in plumes of fire.

"Dranzer's gone, too," she mumbled.

Kai nodded. His fist clenched around his blade. "Damn Spirits!"

Aeris looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're the one who said not to give up. So what do we do now?"

The tornado around them was dissipating and soon gone altogether. Tyson, Ray and Max were no where in sight. Most likely they'd taken cover from the cyclone.

Kai watched the dust clouds slowly settle back to the ground.

"I don't know," he muttered, staring numbly at the black wolf that had taken Dranzer's place.

"Kai?" Aeris peered at her friend's listless expression.

"Dranzer's gone…" he murmured.

"Yeah, we established that. Sudri's gone, too."

Kai wasn't listening. Dranzer had always been with him. Even when Kai had Black Dranzer, the loyal phoenix still stayed by him.

Now, however, Dranzer was gone. Kai could no longer feel his warm presence. He was just…gone.

Aeris peered at her friend's crimson eyes, full of emptiness.

"Kai?"

"…gone," Kai breathed, so quietly Aeris had to lean forward to hear him.

Aeris' brow furrowed in concern. "Kai, Dranzer _is_ gone, but not for good. You said not to give up hope, well now I'm telling you. _We_ are still here. We can fight. And when the Spirits are destroyed, Sudri and Dranzer will come back to us." She looked at Kai, eyes shimmering with renewed hope and determination. "I know they will."

Kai's eyes focused back into reality. He stared at Aeris. Now, she seemed more like when she was younger. No longer beset (2) by fear and doubt, her face glowed with the will of her spirit. Seeing her like this made Kai smile.

"Alright," he said. "If we're going to defeat these creatures, we'd better figure out how to do it."

Aeris nodded and got into a deep thinking pose. Then she began pacing. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and-

"Will you cut that out!" Kai shouted. "I'm trying to think."

Aeris stopped and sat down. She put her head in her hands and closed her eyes in concentration.

After about ten minutes, she opened one eye and, looked at Kai. He looked back at her.

Grinning sheepishly, Aeris admitted, "Maybe this is going to take longer than I thought."

End of Chapter 9

(1) Please note that normally Fire is in a very good mood. (He's got a sense of humor, too.) He's just pissed off at Ice right now.

(2) More expanding vocab! Mwahahahaha!

--Review please!


	11. Chapter 10

It's been…wow…over a month since my last update. I'm SO sorry. I've just been really busy. Yeah, I'll admit the thing I was busy with was going to amusement parks and swimming, but still…

Anyway, enough excuses. I'm on Chapter 10! Yay! Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers who have stayed with me so far and put up with my delayed updates. And thank you to **treachery89** for telling me about Anonymous reviewers.

Enjoy the 10th chapter of **Fire Versus Ice**!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.

Chapter 10

"Okay," Aeris began for about the tenth time. "We could…No, that wouldn't work…Oh! I got it! We could throw them in the incinerator!" She nodded, proud of herself. "That's the answer to anything."

Kai stared at her irritably. "I think part of your brain got tossed in the incinerator. That's the worst plan you've come up with so far!"

"Well you try to think of one," Aeris grumbled, rubbing her temples.

"I have been."

"Good."

"Good."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine!"

"Fi-" Kai stopped himself. He took a deep breath. "We're not going to get anywhere by arguing." He sighed and absently scratched his left arm.

"I know," Aeris mumbled.

A chill wind blew in out of nowhere, rushing through the trees. Kai felt a burning sensation. He looked at his arm only to find a dark fire emanating from the scar and coalescing around it.

He looked at Aeris and saw that an icy wind cycloned (1) around her body. The eyes that met his were full of fear and confusion. She didn't know what was happening and it scared her.

The fact that Kai did know what was going on didn't so anything to dull _his_ fear. If anything, it increased it.

Kai watched as the flame steadily engulfed his body. He didn't feel any overwhelming pain, just a dull ache. It was disconcerting, however, to see his own body being burned.

Casting away these thoughts, Kai focused his attention back to Aeris. The wind circled faster and faster. Kai almost couldn't see the girl through the wall of icy, snow-filled air.

"Aeris!" he shouted, hoping she could hear him. "Don't give in! Fight it, Aeris! Fight it!"

Nothing happened at first. Kai could barely hear anything over the howling wind. In the back of his mind, he was aware of the Spirit of Fire slowly taking control of his body. He paid it no mind.

Then, out of the white curtain came a hand, like that of a frozen traveler lost in a blizzard. The wind roared in anger, but the hand continued pushing through. Next came a flash of blue. The ocean blue-haired head pulled its way out of the storm. Violet eyes opened and looked at him first with relief, then horror.

Aeris' eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she fought to pull her body free.

"Kai!" she gasped. "You-!"

"I know," he shouted back. "Forget about me. Just focus on getting yourself free."

"It's hard!" Aeris closed her eyes.

"Yes, it is, but don't give in!"

Aeris looked at him and took a deep breath. "Alright, Kai."

She closed her eyes, pushing Ice back with the force of her will. She slipped for a moment, falling back into the maelstrom.

Then her eyes opened. She gazed at Kai with great sadness and despair.

"I'm sorry, Kai," she mumbled. "I…just can't do it."

"Aeris! Stop! Just give it a little more of your strength!"

"What strength? I'm running on empty." She looked up at him. "I'm so sorry. I just…Goodbye, Kai."

"Aeris! Aeris, wait!" But it was too late. She had faded into the storm.

"No!" Kai yelled. His anger was so great, the flames rippling across his body ebbed back a moment. They came surging back, however, full force. Aeris was right. They were strong. It took all of Kai's willpower to keep the Spirit from taking complete control. He could only watch as the dark fire enveloped his body. Slowly, slowly taking control.

_This is it_, Kai thought. _End of the road._

He sighed and withdrew his position blocking the raging tide of Fire's will. The effect was instantaneous.

Kai felt a rushing in his head. He started to get dizzy. He was partially aware of a new voice in his head saying, "_Hello."_

Then everything went black.

End of Chapter 10

(1) I don't think cycloned is a real word, but it was the only one I could think of that fit. Ergo, for the sake of the story, I dub cycloned a real word.

--Now, I know that was short, but at least it's something. I've been stuck in writer's block for ages. It is simply murder. (screams) Sorry. I had a Tim Burton day today. This afternoon I watched "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (and was singing Jack's Lament all day) and tonight we watched "Corpse Bride". I love both movies to pieces! Also, I just started the 6th Harry Potter book. It is awesome! I wanted to read it already before I heard about anymore secrets. It's already bad enough that I know all the major ones, like who dies, and who does it, and…well I'm rambling, like always.

BTW, I believe that Aeris' character has taken much more shape from the beginning of my story. I think in the next few chapters she will act quite a lot like me…that sounded weird. (The thing with the incinerator…that was a real conversation between me and my friend. Well, that part, at least.)

R & R!


	12. Chapter 11

I surprisingly have nothing to say.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Beyblade, but I don't.

Chapter 11

Kai was floating. Floating through darkness. Blackness…weightless…He opened his eyes and blinked. Where was he? The thought echoed around unseen walls, like a pinball.

_Is this what my mind looks like?_ Kai thought. It was pretty blank. Then he realized his eyes were closed again. He didn't remember closing them…weird…He opened them.

It was still blank, but Kai could sense invisible thoughts and memories, hopes and dreams, racing around through the dark. The previous emptiness was suddenly full of noise, though it was silent. It was all very confusing, too confusing. Kai willed it to stop.

And it did.

Everything ceased. It was suddenly quiet again. It was actually relaxing, drifting through the blackness… Then Kai's eyes snapped open and his mind focused back on reality. He had to get out of here! He had to help Aeris! Was she in a place like this, too?

_Aeris!_ he shouted. _Aeris, can you hear me?_

…_Kai?_ He heard her reply, very faint.

_Aeris, are you alright?_

…_Yes, but…Where are you?_

_I'm…right here…_ Kai drifted around, searching for his friend.

_I don't see you anywhere…_ Aeris' voice was growing louder.

_Aeris! Keep going the way you're going. I'll stay where I am!_ Kai shouted to her.

_Alright, Kai,_ she answered.

He waited. After a minute or two, he saw a faint flicker of blue enter his vision. He floated toward it.

_Aeris?_

_Kai!_

He saw her now. He let out a sigh of relief. She was okay.

Aeris floated closer. She reached out a hand to touch him…but was stopped. There was something like an invisible wall between them. Aeris pushed against it from one side and Kai pushed from the other, but it was no use. The barrier blocked them like the wall of a fishtank.

_We have to get out of here,_ Kai said.

_I know. We need to get our bodies back from the Spirits,_ Aeris replied. _Maybe we could try linking our minds. That would break the barrier._

_I just wish I could see what Fire was doing. Maybe if I try to find my eyes…_ Kai mused.

_It's a possibility,_ Aeris agreed.

Kai nodded. _Okay. We'll try to find our eyes to see what's going on. Then we'll come back and figure out what to do based on what we see._

_Sounds good,_ Aeris replied. She smiled at him and Kai had to smile back. That smile could pull his spirits up no matter how deep they sank.

_See you in a little while,_ Aeris said.

_Yeah, _Kai answered. He saw her wave, then turn around and disappear into the blackness.

Then a voice entered his thoughts. Male, but not noticeably human.

_Hello, Kai._ It echoed around the darkness as if Kai were in a cave.

_Who are you?_ Kai shouted.

_Why, I thought you knew, _the voice said in mock hurt. _I'm the Spirit of Fire. Or Fiore, if you prefer._

_Get out of my body,_ Kai snarled.

_Ooh, so demanding. You really must watch your temper, _Fiore laughed. _I'm not going anywhere, so you better get used to sharing a body. I think that I'm going to enjoy it. At least for the short time we have together._

_What do you mean? _Kai asked warily.

_Well, every time I take a mortal's body, it always eventually disintegrates from the intense heat I give off. You human beings are such fragile things._

A thought struck Kai then. _What about the Spirit of Ice?_

_What about her?_ Fiore said angrily. _The same thing happens with her, only that body freezes to death or whatever. Psht. Why do you care?...Oh, that's right. Your friend. I forgot. Or are you more than friends? She's quite attractive for a human, if I'm not mistaken._

_Shut up,_ Kai growled.

_Ah. Your reaction makes me think that my guess is correct._

_Shut up!_

_Hmph. Maybe I should leave you alone until you can cool down and talk like a civilized person._

_Maybe you should, _Kai shot back.

_Well, fine. I will. Toodleloo!_

Fiore left and Kai was once again in silent darkness. He sighed in irritation.

End of Chapter 11

--The spirits are fun to write about, especially Fiore (pronounced Fee-or-ay).

Please review!


	13. Chapter 12

Wow. Two updates in two days. That's the fastest I've put up chapters in about a month. I'm so proud of me!

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

Chapter 12

_Alright. If I were eyes, where would I go?_ Aeris wondered aloud. Then she stopped as she reached an epiphany and her brain went "Duh!" _In my head, of course, but aren't I supposed to be in my head already?_ She looked around hopelessly. The plain of blackness was like a blank tundra, stretching out as far as the eye could see, without anything to discern each direction.

_Does this place come with a map? Um... _She closed her eyes tight and began to spin around in circles. _Round and round and round we go. Where we stop, nobody knows. 1…2…3._ She stopped spinning abruptly and opened her eyes. _Guess I'll go in this way._ With that, she floated through the blackness in a direction that she could only guess at.

After she had been heading that way for a while, somehow, Aeris got the sensation that she had entered some sort of chamber in the blackness. It seemed that by "losing" her sense of sight, she had received some other sense of echolocation or something.

_Okay. Now where am I?_ Aeris put her hands on her hips and looked around. Then she froze. She had a strong feeling that someone or something was watching her. With her eyes narrowed, she stood (or hovered) perfectly still, only moving her violet orbs. Still suspicious, she slowly began moving again. She took a deep breath and was almost relaxed again when-

BA-BUM. _Ba-bum, ba-bum…_

The giant pulse sounded right next to her and echoed as if they were in the Grand Canyon. If she had been standing on actual ground, Aeris would have jumped about five feet into the air. With eyes so wide it hurt, Aeris gasped in huge gulps of air. She instinctively put her hand to her chest to slow her racing heart…to find she didn't have one. She blinked. Her eyebrows furrowed. She pushed her hand firmly against her chest and listened very carefully.

Nothing. Not the slightest pulse. Then-

BA-BUM. _Ba-bum, ba-bum…_

Aeris jumped, eyes wide.

_What is that?! _she shouted, not really expecting an answer. _What is that?! Is that, is that…_ Her voice bounced off the invisible walls and into her ears so loud it was almost painful. She cringed. _Okay,_ she whisperedto herself. _No more yelling._

_More yelling, more yelling…_ her voice echoed back.

_No,_ she whispered irritably. _No more yelling._

_More yelling, more yelling…_ the echo insisted.

_I'm not listening to you._ Aeris clapped her hands to her ears.

_Listening to you, to you…_

_Okay, that's just creepy._ Aeris took her hands down.

_Just creepy, creepy…_

Aeris nodded. _You said it._

_Said it, said it…_

_Good. I'm glad we've reached an agreement._

_Agreement, ment…_

Aeris nodded in satisfaction and was just relaxing when-

BA-BUM. _Ba-bum, ba-bum…_

_Ah, whatever's doing that has to stop. It's getting me all discombobulated _(1) Aeris muttered.

_Bobulated, bobulated…_

Aeris threw her head back and closed her eyes. _Please stop,_ she begged.

She squeezed her eyes tighter and…nothing happened.

Opening one eye, Aeris looked around. _Eh?_

The room was no longer echoing, but in the background she could still hear the distant BA-BUM.

_Okay. I give up. What happened?_ she asked. (2)

_You said please, _a cool female voice answered Aeris' question.

_Huh?_ Aeris looked around, but she could still see only blackness.

The voice wasn't human, but if sound could be felt, it would have been icy cold. The sound emanated eerily from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

_Who are you?_ Aeris asked when the voice didn't say anything else.

_I am Zephira, though you know me as the Spirit of Ice._

Aeris made a face. _Shoulda figured._ In the distance, the BA-BUM sounded again. _Alright already. What is that?_

_Why, Aeris, you don't recognize your own heartbeat?_

_Actually, _Aeris muttered. _That's what I was worried about. I knew I was going in the wrong direction…somewhere…in the back of my mind…_

_Face it. You didn't know._

_I did too!_

_No. You didn't._

_Hmph. _Aeris crossed her arms. _Fine, Miss Smart-Bitbeast- Thing. If you know so much, then how come I, um, _this_ me doesn't have a heartbeat? And don't tell me it's because I'm dead. Dead people don't hang out in their own bodies._

_You are not dead,_ Zephira began.

_Oh, thank goodness. _Aeris sighed in relief and put her hand to her forehead.

Zephira paused a second longer, then continued. _While I am in control of your body, your soul is separated from your actual, well, body. You are your soul, and I'm sorry to say that you will remain the way you are now, trapped inside your own body, until I am through with it._

_In other words, _Aeris said._ Until I'm dead._

_Pretty much. _Zephira agreed. _Which won't be very long, I'm afraid._

_And what exactly are you doing right now, other than hanging out?_

_Oh, I'm simply preparing your body for the, I'm sorry to say, short battle._

_With the other Spirit?_

_Fiore? Yes. Argh. I'm going to destroy him eventually._

_But you can't. If you did, it'd be the end of the world._

_So? That's not my problem. Ta ta!_

_Hey! Hey, wait! Get out of my body! _Aeris shouted.

_Body, body…_

_Oh, no. Not this again,_ she mumbled.

_Again, again…_

BA-BUM. _Ba-bum, ba-bum…_

_Great, _Aeris muttered. _Just great._

_Great, great…_ agreed the echo.

End of Chapter 12

(1) I love that word.

(2) Me: I think she was beamed up. (gets hit over the head with a shovel) Damn. Too much Star Trek. This is the curse of having former-Trekkie parents.

--Okay, so now we've met both Zephira and Fiore, the Spirits. Um, yeah…

R&R!


	14. Chapter 13

Me: School has again begun! Nooooo! My freedom has ended!

Other personality: Oh, shut up. And "again begun"? What kind of English is that?

Me: It's MY English. So there!

OP: Whatever…Wait. OP? What the hell kind of name is that?

Me: It stands for "Other Personality".

OP::snorts::

Me: Fine. You think of something better.

OP::mutters something::

Me: What?...No! We are not going to be calling you that. Sicko.

Drae::shrugs:: …you changed my name.

Lya: Yup. Split personality equals split name. Yay!

Drae: Just get on with the story. You're wasting time.

Lya: Okie-dokie!

---

Disclaimer: See Chapters 1-11.

Chapter 13

With nothing else to do, Aeris had taken to wandering again. At one point, she had tried to sing traveling songs, but they bounced off the invisible walls and hurt her ears too much.

After she had been moving some direction for a while, though, she paused. Another few seconds passed and Aeris strained her ears.

Ba-bum.

The pulse was faint, far away. A smile lit up Aeris' face for a second, then she frowned again.

_But have I been going north, south, east or west? For all I know, I could be in my arm…or my…butt…_She made a face. Deciding her horrible sense of direction couldn't be helped, Aeris turned again and began floating once more.

It wasn't long before she felt a growing sense of dread. She stopped and put her hands on her hips.

_Why do I feel a growing sense of dread?_ she wondered aloud.

_Dread, dread…_

Aeris blinked.

BA-BUM. _Ba-bum, ba-bum…_

She smacked herself in the forehead. _Not again._

_Again, again…_

ZYXWVUTSRQPONsceneswitchMLKJIHGFEDCBA

While Aeris was lost in her own body because she wandered around too much, Kai was doing the same. The only difference was that Kai actually knew where he was going (1). In fact, it wasn't long before he found his eyes, a surprisingly difficult feat.

It was like having two large windows in the middle of blackness. Except, though it was bright out there, no light streamed in through the windows.

_Finally,_ he thought. The word echoed around in his mind and would have hit him in the head if he hadn't ducked in time. (2)

He peered out through his eyes. Outside, he saw a cyclone of snow-filled wind blowing behind a figure with blue hair.

_Aeris,_ he realized. She looked different.

Her skin was paler than normal and her lips were tinged with blue. Bits of snow and ice stuck to her hair and her eyes were unfocused and dull. Altogether, she didn't look very healthy.

_Your girlfriend's not looking so good, is she?_ A voice Kai had learned was more annoying than Tyson's said.

Kai sighed. _If you're going to irritate me, you could at least show yourself._

_Hm. Interesting idea. Alright._ All of a sudden, a figure appeared in front of him. A light grayish-tan wolf with a silly grin on his face, if that was even possible. (3)

_I thought you were black,_ Kai observed.

The wolf looked down at himself. _I am, but tan shows up better in this-_ He waved a paw at the blackness and paused, stuck.

Kai raised an eyebrow. _Vast expanse of nothingness?_ he suggested.

_I was going for something like fun-filled park for the whole family. You know, put a water slide over there and a roller coaster. Maybe a pizza stand and some kiddie rides, too. Make some advertisements._ He spread his paws wide. _Come on, come all to the Body. Oh, and watch out for the Butt, or you could get flushed! _

Kai watched Fiore without expression. _When I first saw you fighting Ice, I took you as being much more serious._

_Yeah, well, Zephira is so annoying that _anyone _would become serious about trying to destroy her._

_You know you can't do that._

_What?_

_Destroy Zephira._

Fiore looked extremely taken aback. _Why not?_

_Because that would destroy the world._

_How do you get that?_

_There can't be Fire without Ice, or vice versa._

_Oh. Okay._

_So you'll stop trying to destroy her and let Aeris and me go free?_

_No._

_But you-_

_I said I understood. I didn't say that I care. So what if a bunch of humans are killed? What so I care?_ The wolf gazed at Kai, black eyes glittering. Abruptly, it turned. _I'll be going now._

Kai blinked._ What? Wait!_

But Fiore had already vanished into the darkness.

YetagainSceneswitchWhoopdiflippindoo

_1…2…3…4…5._

BA-BUM. _Ba-bum, ba-bum…_

_Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm. BA-BUM!_

_Ba-bum, ba-bum…_

_1…2…3…_ Aeris trailed off as she heard chuckling.

A figure appeared before her, and to Aeris' surprise, it was a woman. She was tall and willowy, with porcelain skin and long silver-blue hair. Most of her facial features were hidden by a glittering mask crafted to look like a swan or crane, with feathers and all.

Aeris looked at the woman shrewdly. _I thought you were a bird._

_I am,_ Zephira replied. _But in here, I can change my form to whatever I please._

_Cool. Can I?_ Aeris squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated. When she opened them, she was disappointed to find herself looking exactly the same.

_No, you cannot. I've been watching you. Do-_

_Wait._ Aeris held up a hand. _You've been watching me? What are you, a stalker?_

Zephira blinked. _No._

_Well, I'm not your pet, either, so get that idea out of your head._

_You're a very strange human. Most just cry and beg for me to release them when I take over their bodies._

_And you, being your kind self, do, right? You release them into the eternal peace of the afterlife._ Though it was said with Aeris' usual flippancy, there was a hint of anger behind her words.

Zephira smiled slightly. _That's correct._

Aeris glared at her. _You're not even a little ashamed, are you? Oh, wait._ She held up her hand._ What should a Spirit care about pathetic little humans? Well I'll tell you what, _Zephira._ This "pathetic little human" is gonna give you one hell of a headache. At least!_ Her threat issued, Aeris turned away.

Zephira stared at her a moment longer, and was gone.

End of Chapter 13

(1) How? We don't know. He has special "Kai powers".

(2) That sounds weird.

(3) And it is because I'VE GOT THE POWER!

Lya::sighs:: Hopefully, I'll be able to update again soon.

Drae: …

Lya: What she means is 'Please Review!'


	15. Chapter 14

Lya: OMG! Where has the time gone? I haven't updated in sooooooooo long. T.T

Drae: Lazy.

Lya: -- I know…But we're back with another chapter!

Drae: No, _you're_ back.

Lya: Nope! Both of us!

Drae: …we don't own Beyblade. There I said it. Now people can't sue us. Good. Go away. walks away

Lya: Drae! Come back! turns to readers Enjoy the chappie! . runs after Drae Draaaaaaaaeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

REAL disclaimer: See Chapters 1-11.

Chapter 14

After her threat, Aeris realized she had no idea of how to start annoying Zephira to death. So, for lack of a better thing to do, she started to sing. To her delight, the Spirit of Ice reacted in a way that suggested that she was beginning to go mad.

Aeris had already sung through "99 Bottles of Beer" twice, and was now in the process of chanting "The Song That Never Ends" for about the 20 zillionth time.

At first Zephira had just yelled at the girl, trying to get her to shut up, but seeing as it was of no use, she gave up. Now, in her woman form, she was looking almost seasick.

_Please shut up_, she groaned.

Aeris just winked at her and continued singing.

_Don't you get tired of singing those songs?_

Aeris shook her head.

Zephira blinked. _Why not?_

Aeris just shrugged.

After a minute more of Aeris' singing, Zephira's anger came back.

_If you don't stop that, I'll throw you out!_ she thundered.

That caused Aeris to stop. _What?_

_You heard me! I've had enough!_

_You can throw me out? Of my own body?_

_Now that I have commandeered it – yes._

Aeris just stared, her face expressionless.

_In fact,_ Zephira continued. _I should have thought of doing that sooner._ She looked toward Aeris. _You will now leave._

_Wha?_ Before Aeris could even complete her sentence, she felt an odd sensation in her stomach, as if her organs were being pulled out by a vacuum. She looked up at Zephira, whose face was unreadable, eyes cold.

The next thing she knew, Aeris was gone. Just as quickly, she was back again, but not in her body. Rather she was outside of it.

She looked around and quickly spotted herself from behind. She floated toward herself and went around to the front.

_I look awful_, she murmured.

She went to brush a piece of blue hair out of her face, but her hand went right through. Aeris stared for a moment at her hand coming out of the other side of her body's head. Then she pulled it back out.

_So I'm like a ghost now,_ she said to no one in particular.

Aeris gazed around again and saw Kai. She floated closer and was struck by a sudden heat. She hadn't realized it before, but a similar aura of freezing cold was surrounding her body.

She gazed sadly at Kai's listless expression. The way they both stood, they looked like puppets supported only by strings.

Aeris sighed. _What am I going to do?_

All of a sudden, there was a loud POP! The blue-haired girl nearly flipped over backwards in the air and had to scramble to right herself.

Below her and a little to the side floated Kai, muttering darkly to himself about a "stupid wolf".

Aeris' mood instantly brightened. _Kai!_

He looked up just as she landed on top of him. She squeezed him so hard, he thought his lungs would burst. Mercifully, however, Aeris soon realized what she was doing and her eyes snapped open as she hastily released him, a faint scarlet covering her cheeks.

_Good to see you, too,_ Kai said once he had gotten his breath back.

Aeris smiled sheepishly. _Sorry._ Then she asked, _How did you get out here?_

Kai snorted. _Fiore was being annoying and we got into a fight. You?_

Aeris grinned. _I was just singing._

Kai raised an eyebrow. _Singing?_

Aeris crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him with mock indignation. _It's not _my_ fault she didn't like the songs._

Kai shook his head. _Sometimes I wonder how I put up with you._

_Well apparently you do a better job of it than the "Ice Queen" in there,_ she said, jerking her thumb toward her body.

_Hn. We need to figure out a way to get back inside._

Aeris blinked. _Why?_

_So we can defeat the Spirits,_ Kai said, mentally rolling his eyes in exasperation.

_Oh. But…_Aeris trailed off, staring into the distance.

_What?_

The girl turned back toward him, a smile lighting up her features.

_I can feel her again, Kai!_

Kai blinked. _Who?_

_Sudri! Try to find Dranzer, Kai. Listen with your heart._

Kai closed his eyes and joy filled him as he felt the familiar warm presence of his beloved bitbeast.

_They're coming!_ Aeris exclaimed excitedly. _Now we'll be able to beat the Spirits!_

Kai, too, felt his hopes lifted. With their bitbeasts back, he felt they could accomplish anything.

End of Chapter 14

Lya: YAY! The bitbeasts are coming back!

Drae: Whoop-dee-flippin-doo. waves invisible mini banner

Lya: C'mon Drae. You're supposed to be excited!

Drae: I am excited. Can't you see how delighted I am?

Lya: No, I can't.

Drae: I'm done with this conversation. walks away

Lya: sighs and walks away, too

--I will try to update ASAP, but it might be a little while. There's so much stuff going on but I'll try my best to write ;;


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